The Cañas–Jerez Treaty between Costa Rica and Nicaragua was enacted April 15, 1858 as a solution to the growing border tension between the two countries.
It established a border between the two countries that skirts the southern edge of Lake Nicaragua, then moves east along the San Juan River for the last third of the division, following it north from where it forks from the Rio Colorado.
In April 1858, Nicaragua sent Máximo Jerez Tellería, the Minister of Plenipotentiary to San Jose to try to negotiate a new agreement.
In an attempt to resolve the differences, the following negotiations were held and signed in addition the previous treaty, Herrera-Zavala (1872), Víquez-Step (1886), and Zambrana-Alvarez (1883).
At the Esquivel- Román meeting, it was agreed that the validity of the Cañas-Jerez treaty was possibly invalid by the United States President.